About Encouragement for Today

Proverbs 31 Ministries is a non-denominational, non-profit Christian ministry that seeks to lead women into a personal relationship with Christ. With Proverbs 31:10-31 as a guide, Proverbs 31 Ministries reaches women right in the middle of their busy day through free daily devotions, radio program, speaking events, conferences, monthly magazine, resources, online communities, and Gather and Grow groups. We are real women offering real-life solutions to women who are striving to maintain life’s balance, in spite of today’s hectic pace and cultural pull away from godly principles. Wherever a woman may be on her spiritual journey, Proverbs 31 Ministries exists to be a trusted friend who takes her by the hand and walks by her side, leading her one step closer to the heart of God.

"The LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore." Psalm 121:8 (NIV)

Psalm 121:8 makes a proclamation that is hard to believe: "The LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore." Does the Lord really watch over me perpetually? How is this even possible? I didn’t have a mental model for the mere scope of this assignment. That is until my daughter introduced me to an app called RunKeeper.

This app tells me how far I’ve run, the average time per mile and my overall time, down to the second. It graphs the various elevations and shows me an overview map of exactly where I have run. If I showed you my run history, you would see maps of beaches, mountains and all kinds of locations and terrains around the world.

Here’s what’s even more amazing. RunKeeper not only tracks and records my locations, it does so for 10 million other runners as well! If humans can invent a piece of technology to track the steps of 10 million people simultaneously, is it really much of a stretch to believe God can track 6 billion of us?

I guess not. God is transcendent; He is above all. God is also immanent; He is near. Very near.

How near? A few verses earlier the writer tells us "… the LORD is your shade at your right hand;" (Psalm 121:5b, NIV).

So, I now have a mental concept of God’s capacity to watch and track all of my comings and goings, now and forevermore. Yet, I am still left with one more puzzling question — why?

Why would God want to do this? Most of my days would make an insomniac fall asleep. Personally, I love my routine and the minor assignments on my "to do" list. I just can’t see how this could possibly be a good use of the Divine Creator’s time.

The answer is not hard to find. It is stamped on almost every page of Scripture. God watches over our coming and our going now and forevermore because He loves us andcares deeply for us.

Easy to understand, but hard to grasp that the one true God over all deeply loves and cares about us.

Right now I am sitting in a hospital room. My grandson arrived into the world yesterday. As he lies in his crib, I tower over him watching his every move — every twitch of his eye, and every move to the right or to the left. A yawn is big news. The smirk on his face evoked by gas sure looks like a genuine smile in my book.

To anyone else, this would seem like a colossal waste of time. Not for me or my wife or daughter or son-in-law. I love my grandson. Oh my, this is how God feels about me but with so much more depth and perfection. Somehow, we must all come to terms with this reality and soak it in.

Right now, my grandson has no clue of my intense love and protection over him. One day he will. The same is true for us with God. We wander through life unaware He has been tracking us morning and night. The goal is to one day become aware of God’s presence in our lives. When we do, we write our own Psalm — maybe not as eloquent as the one above, but just as meaningful. Maybe that day for you is today!

Dear Heavenly Father, I now understand that You have the capacity to watch over my coming and going now and forever more. How overwhelming! What is even more overwhelming is the reason You do this. You are driven to watch my every move because You love me and care for me. I don’t fully grasp why You have chosen me, but I am aware of it and it makes me feel safe. Thank You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:
Psalm 139:1-2, "You have searched me, LORD, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar." (NIV)

Matthew 6:31-32, "So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them." (NIV)

Romans 8:28 "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." (NIV)

RELATED RESOURCES:
Today’s devotion comes from a new book by pastor and author, Randy Frazee. Think, Act, Be like Jesus is a devotional book that covers 30 key ideas found in Scripture. It is also a companion to a new Bible engagement campaign for the entire church called Believe. To find out more about both, click here.

Enter to WIN a copy of Believe by Randy Frazee. In celebration of this book, Randy’s publisher is giving away 10 copies! Enter to win by leaving a comment here, letting us know why you’d like a copy for yourself OR whom you would give the book to, if you won. {We’ll randomly select 10 winners and email notifications to each one, by Monday, February 2.}

REFLECT AND RESPOND:
Do you believe God has the capacity and passion to watch over your coming and going now and forever more? Why or why not?

What difference would it make in your daily life if you are truly aware of and accepted God’s intense love and involvement in your life?

About Encouragement for Today

Proverbs 31 Ministries is a non-denominational, non-profit Christian ministry that seeks to lead women into a personal relationship with Christ. With Proverbs 31:10-31 as a guide, Proverbs 31 Ministries reaches women right in the middle of their busy day through free daily devotions, radio program, speaking events, conferences, monthly magazine, resources, online communities, and Gather and Grow groups. We are real women offering real-life solutions to women who are striving to maintain life’s balance, in spite of today’s hectic pace and cultural pull away from godly principles. Wherever a woman may be on her spiritual journey, Proverbs 31 Ministries exists to be a trusted friend who takes her by the hand and walks by her side, leading her one step closer to the heart of God.